Week 8 for Vikings Begins with a Huge Mystery
Did you enjoy the two-week-long quarterback mystery for the Minnesota Vikings from the end of the London game until the start of the loss the Philadelphia Eagles? If so, the team has a sequel for you.
If you didn’t get enough in the last two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings once again have a broad mystery at the game’s most important position for TNF.
The Vikings’ quarterback plan could bend in three directions, with Thursday Night Football just three days away. During a short build-up, the questions will be loud.
Vikings Once Again Embark on QB1 Mystery
Join the Carson Wentz, J.J. McCarthy, and Max Brosmer discourse.
The Case for Carson Wentz
The argument for starting Wentz in a fifth consecutive game this Thursday is light, to say the least. He missed absolutely crucial throws versus the Eagles while producing absolutely crucial gaffes that prevented his team from winning.
There’s no other way to spin it.
Still, with a short week underway, Wentz has the veteran experience that head coach Kevin O’Connell might rely on with three days of game prep, especially if J.J. McCarthy’s high ankle sprain prevents him from playing.
The case for Wentz is simple: continuity and a veteran’s presence — even if none of that worked against Philadelphia. The Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota’s next opponent, isn’t quite as deadly as the Eagles.
The Case for J.J. McCarthy
O’Connell seemed to crack the door open for McCarthy and Brosmer.
“First and foremost, Wentz competed and gotta see how he comes out, health-wise. He took some shots. He had to use his legs there a couple times on the last drive,” O’Connell told reporters.
“We’ll see how he turns over, and I know Max Brosmer was ready to go today, and J.J. was the emergency three. But J.J. was able to get some work last week. We’ll see how he feels as well, and on a short week, we’re gonna put together the best plan we can, and that also includes the players available to us.”
The case for McCarthy on Thursday Night Football is simple: the QB1 job is his in the first place, he vitally needs snaps within the offense to develop before the Vikings get to the 2026 offseason, and his ankle should be close to good-to-go by this week.
If he’s nearing full health, O’Connell should not overcomplicate this. Give the rock to the guy drafted in Round 1 a year and a half ago. This shouldn’t even be a debate.
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis after Sunday’s loss: “If Sunday solidified anything at all, it’s that the Vikings’ ceiling is capped with Wentz at the helm. McCarthy’s floor in the short term may be even less certain, but this season was always going to live or die by his availability and production. That’s still the case.”
“At the very least, until the Vikings uncover some semblance of balance in each of the game’s three phases, they must finish 2025 with an understanding of where their 22-year-old, first-round quarterback is in his development. Not that Jalen Hurts is an apples-to-apples comparison given his extensive college experience, but recall Philadelphia’s path. Hurts posted an 8-7 record in his first season as the full-time starter in 2021. The Eagles lost in the wild-card round that season, but Hurts gave them exactly what the Vikings desperately need right now: hope.'”
The Case for Max Brosmer
Brosmer’s stake to start is a little trickier.
Suppose Minnesota fundamentally refuses to start McCarthy without an ankle 100% healed. It should give Brosmer a look, merely for the fact that the team already knows what Wentz will provide: strange mistakes, no redzone talent, and an environment that must be perfect for the Vikings to win.
In Brosmer, the team has the mystery box.
He could play like Brock Purdy, an unheralded find late in the draft process who emerges to stardom. He could play like Jaren Hall, where onlookers quickly realize why he was chosen late in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Brosmer played well in the preseason. He deserves a chance if Wentz gets benched and McCarthy can’t trust the ankle.
But the Choice Is So Damn Obvious
The decision should be Football 101. So long as McCarthy’s ankle isn’t as fragile as an egg shell or bubble, play the man this week. If he doesn’t get the ideal amount of preparation because of a short week — fine. The Vikings will lose with Wentz anyway because he cannot create touchdowns inside the 20-yard line.
The priority in 2025 is McCarthy’s development. The priority is not Wentz’s reclamation tale.
Green-light the quarterback who was the plan all along.
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